Artibus et Historiae no. 45 (XXIII)
2002, ISSN 0391-9064Up
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WILLIAM J. TRAVIS - On Sirens and Onocentaurs: A Romanesque Apocalypse at Montceaux-l'Etoile
Focusing on the relationship between word and image at Montceaux-l'Etoile, this essay argues that a pair of capitals representing a siren and an onocentaur functioned as a sculptural commentary on the apocalyptic notion that "the time is near." From a broader perspective, this interpretation opens up a new way to read the Romanesque sculpture of Burgundy as word images, where capitals evoked specific phrases from scripture and the choice of phrases determined the overall program; comparisons to Autun and Vézelay suggest that these churches adopted a similar method. Eighty-one texts collected in the appendix set out the evidence for the siren and onocentaur in early medieval thought.
